Slow cooked meat pies with wholemeal yoghurt pastry are the perfect winter warmer. Easy to make and delicious plus you can hide veggies so they tick the health box. The pastry for these babies is quick and easy and I promise it's worth the extra little bit of effort.
Meat pies get a bit of a bad wrap I think. The name seems to either conjure up images of dirty looking service station pies, wrapped in plastic sitting in those warmers that you just know have been there for a little longer than they should.
Or on the other end of the spectrum the name brings pictures of a homemade thing of beauty.
I used to be in the first camp, then I discovered making them for myself and now… I am Claire and I love pies.
A while back I was reading money saving tips (as you do) and I read a lot about people using leftovers in pastry to make pie. Um.... genius! #whydidntithinkofthat
They’re a great way to use up leftover meat, curry, veges - anything you can think of really. I think pie will be a regular in our house to feed hungry boys in the years go come.
But sometimes, you just want a good old meat pie and that is what I have for you today.
I do have a recipe for classic Aussie beef pies and while they are delicious, they are pretty time consuming.
My slow cooked beef pies with wholemeal yoghurt pastry on other hand - while it says they take 6 hours, have very little hands-on work and use the trusty slow cooker to create a juicy, meaty, vege-packed filling for my wholemeal yoghurt pastry crust.
If you’ve never made pastry before, I promise the pastry in my slow cooked meat pies with wholemeal yoghurt pastry is super easy.
There are just three ingredients, it comes together in minutes and I haven’t had a failure yet. Somehow it cooks into a flakey, buttery pastry that rivals any pie shop I’ve been to.
Using yoghurt and wholemeal flour makes it a little healthier too. I buy mine organic through The Wholefood Collective.
Tips
- If you have time, it’s best that the filling is at room temperature before you put it in the pastry. Mine was still a little warm and turned out ok but room temp or chilled is best.
- You can re-use the pastry off-cuts. Very gently pat them all together and roll them out again. Just don’t knead it too much or it will get a bit tough.
- This recipe would also make one family-sized pie if you use half the pastry. I’m not 100% sure how long it would take to cook though so you’d have to keep an eye on it and remove from the oven when it’s golden.
- If you want to get really fancy you can cut little shapes from the leftover pastry to put on top for decoration. Just place them on after you’ve brushed with milk and brush them with a little extra milk.
- If you're using leftovers make sure you add a little extra liquid (tinned tomato, broth, gravy etc) as the filling does dry out a little when it's cooking.
Freezing
- These freeze really well. Just wrap individually in plastic wrap then in aluminium foil. Defrost them on the bench and re-heat in the oven at 180C fan-forced for about 15-20 minutes.
- Alternatively you can make the filling and freeze it ready to fill the pastry when you feel like it.
Enjoy!
What about you? If you’re a pie-lover what’s your favourite filling?
Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Check out 12 winter slow cooker favourites.
Recipe
Slow cooked beef pies with wholemeal yoghurt pastry
Ingredients
FILLING
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g 1.10 lbs diced beef
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tablespoon plain AP flour
- 5 small carrots roughly peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup each of red wine tomato passata & gravy
- ½ cup beef stock
- 1 heaped teaspoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig rosemary
- Salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon raw sugar
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
PASTRY
- 400 g 14oz chilled butter, cut in 2cm cubes
- 500 g 1.10 lbs wholemeal plain flour
- 1 cup plain natural yoghurt
- Extra butter or olive oil to grease muffin tin
- Milk for brushing the pastry
Instructions
- Place the olive oil in a large frying pan and heat.
- Add half the meat and cook until sealed then remove and keep warm and repeat with the rest of the meat and set it aside too.
- Tip the onion and garlic in to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
- Stir through the flour and cook for another few minutes.
- Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the carrots and meat meat then the remaining ingredients except the peas and stir together.
- Cook on low for 5 hours.
- Take the lid off and check that the meat is cooked through and falling apart.
- Remove the rosemary sprig and the bay leaves and smoosh the meat a bit to break it up.
- Stir through the peas.
- Turn the slow cooker to high and cook with the lid off for another 30 minutes then turn the heat off and leave it to cool.
- Meanwhile make the pastry.
- Place the butter and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until it resembles bread crumbs.
- Add the yoghurt and mix just until it comes together in a dough.
- Shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and cut in half.
- Working with one half, on a floured surface, roll out to about 3mm thick.
- Grease 14 holes of 2 12-hole muffin tins with oil or butter.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C (356F) fan-forced.
- Using a round cutter, cut 2 pieces of pastry for each pie - the base will be 4cm wider than the muffin tin and the top 2cm wider.
- Gently press the base into the muffin tin hole and fill with pie filling.
- Brush around the edges of the base with a little bit of milk then place the lid on top.
- I used a fork to press the lid into the base to make it look pretty but you can also use your fingers.
- Repeat with the rest of the pastry and filling.
- You can re-use the off-cuts of pastry by very gently patting them all together and rolling out. Just don’t knead it too much or it will get a bit tough.
- Cut a little slit in the top of each pie and then brush with milk.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
- Carefully transfer the baked pies to a wire rack to cool slightly and then devour.
Notes
Nutrition
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
I'm definitely a pie lover! We recently did a pie challenge across Sydney too and it was a delicious way to spend a day. Good idea to use up any leftovers! :D
Claire says
That post had my mouth watering Lorraine!
Chris Scheuer says
You are so clever Claire! These sound wonderful and what a great way to utilize leftovers!! They look like they came from some fine pastry shop!
Claire says
Oh how you flatter me Chris!
Hotly Spiced says
I do love pies but I don't eat the ones from petrol stations. I haven't made individual pies because I don't have the pie tins but you've inspired me to make some. I do love how leftovers can be made into pies. I have some rogan josh curry in the fridge that I could make into a family pie xx
Claire says
I was the same until I discovered you could use muffin tins Charlie. So easy! Rogan Josh pie sounds delish x
Jess says
I would never think to use leftovers to make savory pies, but it's such a good idea! Everything, even leftovers, is a bit more fun when wrapped up in these sweet little pockets!
Claire says
I hadn't thought of it either Jess but now I love it!
Helene Lopes says
I like this recipe. It's a "day before" recipe, ready for the too busy to cook day, and it sounds scrumptious. Thank you for this idea.
Claire says
Very true Helene!